Arizona State snaps No. 21 Washington State's 8-game winning streak
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Jose Perez scored 16 points, Frankie Collins added 14 and Arizona State surprised No. 21 Washington State 73-61 on Saturday night, ending the Cougars' eight-game winning streak.
Washington State (21-7, 12-5 Pac-12) trailed by seven at halftime, but opened the second half on a 9-0 run to take a 38-36 lead, which was its first advantage since early in the first half.
Arizona State (14-14, 8-9) roared right back, scoring the next seven points to regain the lead. The Sun Devils wouldn't trail again.
The game stayed tight for the next several minutes, but every time the Cougars got a few buckets, it seemed the Sun Devils responded with a big shot. Arizona State's defense turned up the pressure late with blocked shots on back-to-back possessions, and the last one resulted in a fastbreak layup for Adam Miller and a 64-55 lead with 3:38 left.
Miller's 3-pointer with 1:50 left gave the Sun Devils a 69-57 lead. He finished with 12 points.
Washington State split its two games since being ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The Cougars — now a half-game behind Arizona for the Pac-12 lead — scored a huge upset win over the fourth-ranked Wildcats on Thursday before falling to the Sun Devils.
Issac Jones led Washington State with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Cougars shot just 3 of 18 (17%) on 3-pointers.
The Sun Devils went on a 13-0 run early in the first half and pushed to an 18-6 lead. The Cougars recovered fairly quickly, cutting the margin to one, but Arizona State took a 36-29 lead into halftime after shooting 53% from the field.
BIG PICTURE
Washington State: The Cougars didn't have a good start and that gave the Sun Devils some much-needed confidence. Washington State still looks like a solid NCAA Tournament team, but will now need some help from other teams to win the Pac-12 regular-season title.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils played some of their best basketball of the season, which is a good sign for ninth-year coach Bobby Hurley, whose job security is a lingering question.
UP NEXT
Washington State: Host USC on Thursday.
Arizona State: Host Arizona on Wednesday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball